This invention relates to an assembly fixture, and particularly to a fixture useful for orienting the plates of a multiple plate clutch or brake unit such that the assembly may be installed within the associated structure easily and quickly.
Multiple plate clutches and brakes are used in many applications where high-torque transmission and compact size are required. For example, multiple plate clutches are frequently used in motor vehicle automatic transmissions where they are employed selectively to cause a driven member to couple or uncouple with a housing ground or another driven member, thereby effecting changes in drive ratios. Multiple plate clutch assemblies are also employed to selectively couple or uncouple an engine output from the manually shiftable transmissions of the type typically used for motorcycles, thereby permitting gear changes. Irrespective of application, multiple plate clutches and brakes have a generally similar configuration. A plurality of reaction plates forming radially projecting teeth are used which engage an output or reaction drum member. Interposed between the reaction plates are drive plate assemblies which form radially projecting teeth which 1ngage a splined surface of a driven shaft. Both the reaction and the drive plates are longitudinally slidable such that an externally applied longitudinal load selectively exerts a clamping load thereby causing engagement or disengagement between the adjacent plates. Therefore, the driven member can be selectively coupled and uncoupled with the reaction member. Typically, a layer of friction material is interposed between the surfaces of the reaction and drive plates which are normally formed from sheet metal stock. Also, it is typical for the entire unit to be submersed within a bath of lubricating fluid which provides a cooling effect.
During the assembly process of multiple plate clutch and brake assemblies, it is necessary to orient the plate assemblies such that they can be loaded into the associated output or reaction drum. This process requires that the radially outwardly extending teeth formed by the reaction plates are in registry with the associated grooves formed by the output or reaction drum. According to the teachings of the prior art, each reaction plate and drive plate is individualy assembled within the output or reaction drum or the associated structure one piece at a time, permitting the operator to properly orient the reaction plates within the housing. This process is labor intensive, leading to high assembly cost and production time constraints.
A principal aspect of this invention is to provide a fixture which significantly reduces the time necessary to assemble a multiple plate clutch unit and to install it into the associated structure. This advantage is achieved by providing a fixture which orients the radially projecting teeth of the reaction plates such that they are in axial registry with one another thereby allowing them to be installed within the associated structure easily and quickly.
The advantages of the subject invention are achieved by providing a fixture having three primary components. A base member receives the reaction and drive plates and insures that their centers are coaxially aligned. A mandrel fits within the base member and forms an extending rod which slidably receives the plate member. A fixture plate assembly includes a plurality of extending orienting posts which engage the radially extending teeth of the reaction plates and aligns them in axial registry with one another when the fixture plate assembly is slid with respect to the mandrel toward the base member. Retention means are incorporated into the fixture plate assembly for grasping the assembled multiple plate assembly permitting the unit to be transported from base member into position with the associated drum or housing structure. The apparatus disclosed herein is adapted to be manually operated and is also suitable to be actuated by machine.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates upon a reading of the described preferred embodiments of this invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.